


something so magic about you

by storhan



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 12:43:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4392326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storhan/pseuds/storhan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall's a single father and Harry's his neighbor who never seems to wear a shirt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	something so magic about you

The last thing Niall wants to do is sit under the sun when it's sweltering outside. He can feel the sun beating down on him and sweat trickling down his spine, but he knows it's just one of the many sacrifices he's going to have to make in the years to come, all in the name of fatherhood.

He watches his five-year-old daughter Willow stand on the edge of the sidewalk in front of her lemonade stand with a bright smile on her face despite the heat. It was his suggestion to set up the lemonade stand after she'd asked for something fun to do, thinking that there would be plenty of thirsty people in the neighborhood in need of lemonade, but now he kind of regrets it because he didn't realize how fucking hot it was. He'll give it five more minutes and then he'll gently coax her back inside because she hasn't had a single customer the entire fifteen minutes they've been out here and he can feel the guilt slowly start to settle in his gut.

"Daddy, how come nobody's bought any lemonade?" Willow asks, and Niall can see her smile slowly begin to falter.

"It's too hot, love," Niall says gently. "We can try tomorrow, but we'll have to go inside soon, okay?" His chest aches as he sees her smile fade, but she nods anyway and turns back to face the street.

Five minutes later, Niall unsticks his sweaty legs from the plastic chair he's sitting in and walks across the lawn to begin moving the lemonade stand back into the garage when a tall figure starts jogging toward them. Niall's breath catches in his throat when he recognizes the figure as his neighbor, Harry.

Harry's lived across the street from them ever since Niall moved in a year ago when his two-bedroom flat became too small for him and Willow. In that time Niall may or may not have developed a slight crush on Harry. Their interactions have been limited to small talk as they both fetched their morning paper or when they ran into each other at the supermarket, but he was always friendly to him and Willow and Niall liked that.

It also didn't help that Harry went for a run everyday around the neighborhood shirtless, and Niall definitely did _not_  spy on him through his window to catch a glimpse of his toned, sweaty chest.

Niall tries not to stare as Harry jogs over, stopping in front of them and breathing heavily. He looks even better up close, Niall thinks, as his eyes trace the curve of his abs, the soft skin of his love handles and the different tattoos drawn over his body. Niall thought Harry was mad for wanting to run in weather like this, but Niall was never one for exercising anyway, so who was he to judge? Harry stands in front of them, hands on his hips, admiring their meager lemonade stand as he catches his breath and Niall tries to look anywhere else but Harry, but finds it difficult when the sun is making the sweat on his body glisten.

"Hi," Harry says, smile just as bright as the sun shining behind him.

"Do you wanna buy some lemonade?" Willow asks, looking up at Harry hopefully, her smile bright and eager.

"Sure," Harry says, already fishing his wallet out of the pocket of his white gym shorts, Niall's eyes following his every move. "How much is it?"

"20 pence," Niall says, finally tearing his eyes away from Harry's body to look at his face. Harry glances at him and smiles, two dimples appearing in his cheeks.

Harry hands over his money to Willow and she hands him a small cup filled with lemonade. He downs it in one gulp and licks his lips in a way that has Niall biting his own lip.

"Mmm, that was delicious. Did you make it yourself?" Harry asks Willow, and she nods triumphantly.

"Mmhmm. But my daddy helped me, though."

"Oh?" Harry raises an eyebrow, glancing back up to Niall.

Niall shrugs nonchalantly, his chest feeling suddenly hot, but he's not sure if it's from the sun or from Harry. "I just put the sugar in."

"Well, the sugar's very important," Harry says, placing the cup back on the stand. "I should probably go back inside and cool off, but thank you both for the lemonade. Hopefully I'll get to have some more of it."

"We'll be out here tomorrow," Niall blurts, hoping he doesn't sound too eager, but he'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't. He'd much rather see Harry up close like this than from behind a window.

"I just might have to pay you a visit, then," he says, and Niall could've sworn that Harry was talking to Willow, but his eyes say otherwise as they linger on Niall's. It only lasts a moment before Harry gives them one last smile and turns to jog back toward his own house across the street.

"Bye!" Willow calls after him, waving, even though his back is already turned. Niall watches him go, his eyes trailing over the clean expanse of his back and now the only thing Niall wants to do is take a cold shower.

-

The next day is still warm, but it's much less hot than the day before, a faint breeze slightly relieving the harsh feeling of the sun's rays beating down on Niall's back. Niall breathes in the fresh air and the distinct smell of summer as another breeze whips by, exhaling slowly as his eyes peer over his magazine. He brought it outside with him as an excuse so it wouldn't look completely obvious that he was looking for Harry.

He watches Willow hand a cup of lemonade to Mrs. Gordon, who graciously accepts it with a smile and takes off down the street with Max, her golden retriever. Business has been better today and Niall can only watch with a smile as Willow hands off each cup with a bright smile that only seems to grow wider with each customer.

It isn't until Niall's finally returned to actually reading his magazine that he hears Harry's voice.

"Hello again," he says, and Niall's head snaps up to see Harry give him a small wave before handing over his money to Willow and gulping down the lemonade with a satisfied sigh. "Mmm. You know, I think you might have a future in the lemonade business."

"Really?" Willow says and Niall can hear the excitement behind her voice before she turns to face him with a wide grin. "Daddy, did you hear that?"

"Yes, I did, but-"

"But you'll have to stay in school, though," Harry interjects, flashing a small apologetic grin over Willow's shoulder, seeming to have read Niall's mind before he could finish his sentence. He turns back to Willow. "Business is fun, but education is important."

Willow nods, and part of Niall wants to tell Harry that it's not his job to teach his daughter anything, but he also wants to thank Harry for saying the very thing Niall was thinking, because he's pretty sure no one else would have.

But he doesn't get the chance to say anything before Harry's complimenting the lemonade once again, and even though Willow may believe it, Niall's fairly certain it's not the "best lemonade he's ever had".

It's a different side to Harry that Niall's never seen before. He's always been friendly to Willow and Niall - and everyone else in the neighborhood for that matter - but Niall's never seen him interact with a child and Niall must admit, it is fascinating. Now Niall's realizing that Harry's the type of person who can get along with anyone, whether they're five years old or eighty.

Niall buries himself in his magazine, trying to read more than the same line he's been reading for the last twenty minutes, while also trying to ignore the warmth spreading in his chest as Willow shows Harry the small scar on her knee from the time she fell off her bike.

He glances up at the two of them again when he hears Willow laugh at something Harry said. He doesn't hear it though, because he's too busy staring at the way Harry's cheeks dent each time he smiles. Niall thinks it's one of the most beautiful sights he's ever seen.

He watches as Willow points at each of Harry's tattoos, her eyes full of wonder as Harry gives an exaggerated explanation of each one (Niall's pretty sure a pirate didn't give him his ship tattoo, but he's not going to say otherwise). Niall sets his magazine aside, not even caring about being caught staring, watching the way his daughter's face lights up in amazement as Harry waves his hands through the air, gesturing to the sky as he tells a ridiculous story of how he got his star tattoo from an actual falling star. Curiosity starts to set in, and Niall wonders if Harry tells the real stories behind his tattoos with this much gusto.

"Daddy, can I get a star tattoo like Harry's?" Willow suddenly asks.

"Maybe when you're older, love," Niall says, sending a stern look Harry's way, warning him not to plant anymore crazy ideas into his daughter's head. He doesn't like being the bad guy, and he certainly doesn't want to be the person who has to tell her no to every silly notion he gives her.

"He's right," Harry amends, the smile disappearing from his face as he looks at her seriously, nodding. "Your dad is always right, and you should always listen to what he has to say, okay?" Harry smiles slightly and she nods slowly. Niall opens his mouth to thank Harry, because no one's ever said something like that before, but before he has a chance to say anything, Harry's already backing up toward his house. "Well, I have to go, but it was nice to see you two again. Will I see you out here tomorrow?"

"Yes," Niall blurts, already imagining Harry telling Willow another story about one of his tattoos while Niall just ogles Harry's sweaty body from behind his magazine. He's already looking forward to it.

Harry smiles at him like he had yesterday, Niall's chest feeling hot again, and this time he knows it has nothing to do with the sun. "Great. I'll see you tomorrow, then," he says before jogging off toward his house.

Niall lets his eyes linger a few seconds before he rises from his chair, the plastic sticking to the crease of his knees. "Alright, Willow, time for lunch."

Willow squeals happily as she runs into the house, leaving Niall to drag the lemonade stand back into the garage. He steps back into the house with a sigh of relief, thankful for the air conditioning, and walks into the living room where he sees Willow sitting on the floor between the couch and the coffee table with a stack of papers and crayons sprawled out in front of her.

"Grilled cheese?" Niall asks, because it's her favorite and it's the only thing he can cook without burning down the house. Willow's head perks up and nods fervently.

Niall walks into the kitchen in search of a pan and bread. He turns on the stove before opening the fridge and pulling out the cheese. As he slices the cheese, he glances over at Willow, still sitting on the floor, absorbed in her drawing. Niall places the sandwich in the pan once it's hot enough, and grabs a spatula from the drawer next to the stove.

Twenty minutes later, he's carrying two plates into the living room and setting one down next to Willow. Niall takes a bite of his own sandwich before reaching for the remote sitting on the coffee table in front of him. He carefully moves Willow's drawings out of the way before his hand grasps the remote, but he quickly sets it aside and picks up one of Willow's pictures instead, examining the familiar image.

"Willow," Niall says slowly. "What's this?"

"Harry's butterfly," she says casually, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. It kind of is, because Niall had recognized it immediately, but hoped he was just imagining it and that his daughter wasn't actually drawing his neighbor's tattoos. "I drew it for him."

His mind goes blank for a minute, unsure how to react to this. Eventually, he says, "I'm sure he'll love it." He leans forward to press a kiss to the top of her head before reaching for the remote again and turning on the television.

"How come you don't have any tattoos, daddy?" Willow asks, still focused on the drawing in front of her, and Niall's slightly relieved it doesn't involve anything that is already on Harry's body.

"Just never really wanted one," he says with a shrug even though he knows she can't see it.

"You should get one. Then you and Harry can match," she says, and Niall nearly chokes on his sandwich.

-

It's still hot outside, but Niall's finding that he doesn't mind it so much with the promise of seeing Harry again. Even Willow is excited to see him again; he's all she would talk about before she went to sleep last night. Niall would be lying if he said he hadn't wanted to talk about him too, but he already thinks about him enough as it is, so he doesn't need his daughter doing the same.

But he couldn't fault Harry for being nice to his daughter when he's been the only one to really do so. Of course everyone in the neighborhood has been friendly to him and Willow since they moved in, but Harry's been the only one who's actually made an effort to get to know them, and for that, Niall will be forever grateful.

Soon enough, Niall sees Willow bouncing up and down on her toes as she watches Harry approach. Niall's grateful yet again when he sees Harry sans shirt, like always, and a pair of tiny yellow shorts slung low on his hips. He smiles as Willow greets him quickly before running off into the house.

"What's that all about?" Harry asks.

"Oh, um," Niall starts, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "she made something for you."

"Oh?" Harry asks, quirking an eyebrow. "Did you help?"

"No, not this time," Niall says, laughing weakly, but Harry only smiles in return.

"She's very independent, that one. She must get it from her dad," Harry says, still smiling, but now there's a softness behind it that Niall has yet to see. He feels his cheeks heat up under Harry's gaze, but he hopes he can blame it on the sun.

"Yeah, she is," Niall says quietly, a small smile creeping onto his face, just like it does anytime someone compliments him or Willow. Or, in this case, both.

Before either of them can say anything else, Willow comes bounding out of the house, holding a piece of paper that flaps behind her as she runs.

"Harry!" she calls, a wide grin splitting her face as she hands the paper over to him. Niall instantly recognizes it as the drawing he saw yesterday and his throat goes tight. "I drew this for you!"

She looks expectantly up at Harry, still smiling widely, waiting for his reaction. Niall can feel his heart fluttering in his chest as Harry's mouth breaks into a grin even wider than Willow's.

"Wow!" Harry exclaims, studying the drawing in wide-eyed wonder. "You're quite the artist. I love it, thank you." It's a sight that Niall wants to remember forever - the way Willow grins all the way to her ears as she takes in Harry's expression and the way she giggles when Harry holds the drawing over his stomach.

Niall's pulled out of his stupor when he feels Willow tugging on his shorts and showing him the empty lemonade pitcher. "Daddy, we're out of lemonade."

"Okay, I'll go make some more," he says, grabbing the pitcher from Willow and glancing back to Harry. "You can wait inside if you like."

Harry stares at him for a moment before he smiles, two familiar dimples appearing in his cheeks. "Okay, just let me go change and I'll be right over," he says, motioning to his house over his shoulder and Niall nods, trying to contain a smile of his own.

"See you in a couple of minutes, then," Niall says, even though Harry's already halfway to his house. He forces himself to tear his eyes away from Harry long enough to walk back into the house, Willow trailing behind him.

He makes his way into the kitchen and adds more ice, water and lemon juice to the pitcher before rifling through the cabinets for the sugar. Niall huffs when he can't find it right away, opening each cupboard frantically and then mentally slapping himself when he realizes it was sitting right in front of him the whole time. He's not sure if he's losing his mind or if his brain's all muddled because Harry'll be here any second.

Niall reaches for the sugar, but nearly drops it when he jumps at the sound of a knock on the door. He can feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, and he feels kind of silly for feeling like an excited teenager when Harry's only coming over for a glass of lemonade. It's hardly anything to get excited about, but that doesn't stop Niall from making a beeline to the door. He's two feet in front of the door when Willow goes running past him to open the door, shouting Harry's name.

"Hello again, Willow," he says with a smile, before he locks eyes with Niall's, his voice suddenly going soft and quiet. "Hi."

"Hi," Niall says, and he's only slightly disappointed that Harry's now wearing jeans and a shirt. But it's white, and it's sheer enough that Niall can still make out the tattoos on his chest and stomach through the fabric, so he's not complaining.

Willow tugs on Harry's hand, dragging him inside. His eyes go wide as he passes Niall, and Niall can only laugh as Harry nearly trips over his own feet on his way into the living room. Niall follows them but veers off into the kitchen to retrieve the lemonade.

He carefully carries three glasses into the living room and sets them down on the coffee table where Willow has all of her drawings spread out, explaining each one to Harry. She stops midway through each story to look back at Harry to make sure he's listening - which he is. He smiles and nods each time she looks at him, and Niall's amazed at how captivated he looks by her stories. It reminds Niall of the way Harry told Willow the fairy tales about his tattoos and how she had the same look of captivation on her face. But Niall's mesmerized himself, watching Harry listen intently to Willow and the way his facial expressions change along with hers.

Harry's eyes meet Niall's briefly, and his throat suddenly feels dry because he's sure he's been caught staring, but Harry only gives him a small smile before Willow's dragging his attention back to her. Niall reaches for his glass of lemonade and drains half of it quickly, hoping to somewhat calm his nerves. He still can't wrap his head around the fact that Harry's sitting in house, on his couch, drinking his lemonade. Niall downs the rest of his glass and prays that Harry can't see the way his hands are shaking.

He gets up to place his glass in the sink when he hears Willow's voice calling to him from the living room.

"Daddy, I'm hungry."

"Grilled cheese?" he asks, already reaching for a pan and placing it on the stove. He turns around long enough to catch Harry's eye. "Would you like to stay for lunch?"

"Please?" Willow asks, and even though Niall can't see her face, he knows she's using those same pleading eyes she uses when she begs Niall to stay up for five more minutes, or to have "just one" cookie before dinner. If Harry is anything like Niall, he'll eventually cave.

"Okay," he concedes, before looking at Niall once again. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all," Niall reassures him with a smile. He has to admit, it is nice to have a guest that isn't Liam or a member of his family.

"At least let me help," Harry offers.

"It's only grilled cheese, I don't need that much help," Niall says, grabbing the cheese out of the fridge. "And besides, you're already helping by keeping Willow occupied."

Niall glances at Harry over this shoulder and sees a small frown on his face, like he accepts Niall's refusal, but doesn't want to just sit around while Niall does all the work. Niall would've loved Harry's help, but grilled cheese doesn't necessarily require two people to make, and he's fairly certain Willow wouldn't have let him leave his spot on the couch anyway.

Niall makes the sandwiches quickly and walks into the living room twenty minutes later carrying two plates in his hands while one balances precariously on his forearm. Harry takes the one from his arm, and Niall sets one of the plates down in front of Willow who immediately picks up her sandwich and takes a big bite.

Harry on the other hand, takes a smaller, tentative bite, and Niall really hopes he's testing the temperature and not his cooking ability. Niall's relieved when Harry's mouth breaks into a grin that he can't help but mirror. That's the best reaction he's ever gotten to his cooking, Niall thinks, even though Liam's constantly telling him how great his food is. He's pretty sure Liam's only saying that to spare his feelings. He appreciates it, but there's just something so... genuine about the way Harry's grinning at him from across the couch.

"It's good," Harry says, nodding as he takes a bigger bite, like he's trying to convince Niall that he really means it. Niall just shakes his head with a smile, taking a bite of his own sandwich. "So, do you play?"

Niall sees Harry gesture around the room at the multitude of guitars hanging from the walls. He feels his cheeks warm and he ducks his head, staring at the crumbs on his plate.

"I used to. Haven't really had the time to since I got custody of Willow. The only time I really get to play is when she asks me to sing her a song before bed."

"He's really good," Willow attempts to whisper to Harry, but Niall pretends not to hear it.

"Really?" Harry stage-whispers back, sees Willow nod, and glances back up at Niall. "I'd love to hear you play sometime."

Niall smiles at the idea of playing for Harry. He can already picture the smile playing across his lips as he looks on in awe. Niall doesn't think it'll be a fantasy for much longer because Willow's tugging on the hem of his shirt and setting a guitar in his lap.

"Please?" Willow begs, batting her eyelashes for the full effect, knowing Niall can never resist. And he's definitely not going to refuse when Harry's staring at him with an equally hopeful look in his eyes.

He takes a breath as he positions the guitar in his lap and begins to play, focusing on his fingers moving across the strings instead of Harry's gaze, which he'd probably be able to feel from a mile away. He plays the first song that comes to mind and he doesn't realize what he's playing until he hears a voice softly singing along.

" _I'm gonna pick up the pieces and build a lego house_ ," Harry sings, and Niall's eyes are instantly drawn back to Harry's face, watching as his lips form around each word as they spill out of Harry's mouth and into Niall's ears.

The first thing Niall notices is how deep and raspy Harry's voice is. He has a beautiful voice, Niall thinks, and he wonders if it's from years of singing in the shower or if Harry dedicates his life to music the way that Niall does.

Niall continues to play, humming along with Harry who's now singing to Willow who stares up at him in wonder the same way Niall is. There's many different sides to Harry, Niall's realizing, and he wants to learn about every single one.

Niall finds himself staring again, but he doesn't bother trying to hide it this time because Harry has a voice that makes you stop and listen. He's sure Harry can feel Niall studying him because his eyes flicker to Niall's every now and then with a slight upturn of his mouth and Niall  _really_  hopes his fingers aren't shaking.

The song ends too soon and Niall finds himself itching to play something else just to get Harry to sing again.

"Sorry," Harry mutters, even though Niall's shaking his head, because no one should apologize for singing, especially when they have a voice like that.

"Don't be. You have a lovely voice," Niall says honestly and he can see Willow nodding in agreement next to him.

"Another!" Willow says, bouncing in her seat. Harry regards her with a smile before looking back at Niall shyly, like he does want to sing another song but is afraid Niall won't want him to. That's the complete opposite of what Niall wants, so he nods almost too enthusiastically.

"Since you seem to like Ed Sheeran as much as I do, how about  _Kiss Me_?" Harry asks.

Niall nods again, and he doesn't even have to think before he's strumming the first few chords because that's his favorite Ed Sheeran song, and he's sure he's going to love it even more hearing Harry sing it.

Once again Niall finds himself entranced by Harry's voice, how deep and calming it is. Niall's pretty sure he could fall asleep to it.

As Harry continues to sing, Niall finds it harder and harder to look anywhere but Harry's lips. But when his eyes venture a glance into Harry's as he's singing,  _kiss me like you wanna be loved_ , Niall's sure he's imagining Harry's eyes flickering down toward his own lips or the way Harry meets his gaze when he sings,  _this feels like falling in love_.

_Yeah_ , Niall thinks as a slow smile tugs at his lips,  _it does_.

-

"Uncle Liam!" Niall hears Willow shout from where he's stood in the kitchen preparing his weekly dinner with Liam.

It had been something Liam had insisted upon when Niall moved into the neighborhood: checking in on him at least once a week to make sure parenting wasn't causing Niall to lose his sanity. Luckily it hasn't, but Liam still insists on checking up on the two of them, so Niall settled for having dinner with him once a week. He knows Liam is only looking out for the well-being of him and his daughter so he can't be mad at him for that. He'll never admit it though, because he doesn't want to appear completely helpless, but he really does appreciate Liam's help every now and then.

He follows the sound of his daughter's voice and rounds the corner to find her hugging Liam's legs.

"Hello to you, too." Liam chuckles as he struggles to step into the house with a five-year-old clutching his legs.

"Willow, love, why don't you help set the table?" Niall asks, and she mumbles a reluctant  _okay_  before detaching herself from Liam's legs and disappearing into the dining room.

"What's got her so happy?"

"She made a new friend."

"Oh?" Liam quirks an eyebrow. "Who?"

"My neighbor, Harry."

"Is he the one you're always on about? The one who never wears a shirt?"

Niall sighs, making a mental note to never drink in front of Liam again because apparently all it takes is three beers for Niall to start rambling on and on about his fit neighbor. He really wishes Liam had forgotten about that. "Yeah," he mumbles, returning to the kitchen before Liam can say anything else, and he also doesn't want the food to burn.

He turns the stove off and gives the spaghetti one final stir before transferring it to a large serving bowl. He's very aware of Liam's presence behind him.

"So," Liam says conversationally. "Does this mean you asked him out yet?"

"No," Niall says simply, hoping Liam will get the hint and leave it at that, but he knows that's just wishful thinking.

"Why not?" Liam asks, his tone sounding more curious than accusatory.

"Because I'm not looking for a relationship, Liam. I don't have time to focus on anyone else but Willow right now."

It's a good lie, Niall thinks. There is some truth to it because he hasn't really thought about dating anyone. He's been more focused on being a father to Willow and he'd feel guilty about neglecting the person he's dating for his own daughter. He knows having a child is sometimes a deal breaker, even though that doesn't seem to be true for Harry, but Liam doesn't need to know that.

Liam studies him for a moment, but seems to accept the answer because he doesn't say anything more. Niall can still feel Liam's eyes on him as he carries the spaghetti into the dining room. He walks over to Willow to spoon some out onto her plate, but stops when he sees that she's drawing.

It's not an unusual sight, she's constantly drawing and Niall's always encouraged her to express her artistic side, but what stops him is not the  _fact_  that she's drawing, but  _what_  she's drawing.

If you had asked Niall a year ago to identify the image on the paper, he easily would've said they were just two birds, but now Niall's slightly disconcerted at the fact that he knows those are two swallows and that they belong on the chest of a certain curly-haired, green-eyed neighbor.

"What's our little artist drawing today?" Liam asks when he emerges from the kitchen.

"It's for Harry," Willow says, and Niall remains frozen, unsure of what to do other than avoid the look he knows Liam is giving him from across the table.

"Your new friend, Harry?" Liam asks and Niall forgives Liam momentarily when he sees the bright smile stretched across his daughter's face as she nods. "Your dad was just telling me all about him."

"Really?" Willow perks up before turning to Niall. "Daddy, why didn't you invite Harry to dinner?"

"Yeah, Niall, why  _didn't_  you invite Harry to dinner?" Liam chimes in, and Niall really wishes he would keep his mouth shut before his daughter asks any more questions he doesn't want to answer.

"Because," Niall says slowly, emphasizing the word, "this is a family dinner, and Harry isn't family. So let's just eat and talk about something else."

He gives Liam a warning glare not to fight him on this (he knows Liam won't, but still) and to just drop the entire subject of  _Harry_.

Liam raises his hands slightly in surrender before taking his usual spot across from Willow and reaching for the bowl of spaghetti Niall's still clutching in his hands. He scoops some spaghetti onto his plate before handing the bowl back to Niall who dishes out some pasta onto his own.

They eat in relative silence save for the usual questions Liam asks Willow at each of these dinners. Niall's not really listening, he's too busy trying  _not_  to think about Harry, which is having the opposite effect because it's only making him think about Harry  _more_. He really wishes he could just have a nice, quiet dinner with his daughter and his best friend in peace without thinking about how much he really likes Harry.

Their impromptu music session yesterday seemed to spark something between them that Niall still can't put into words. Niall was aware of Willow's presence between them, but at the same time it felt like it was just the two of them in the room. He was sad to see Harry leave (maybe not as much as Willow was), but he definitely went to bed with a smile that night.

He doesn't realize he's spaced out until Willow's voice cuts through his thoughts.

"Can we, daddy?" she asks, practically jumping in her seat with excitement. "Please?"

"Can we what?" Niall asks as nonchalantly as possible, hoping it doesn't sound obvious that he wasn't paying attention. He's sure Willow didn't notice that he wasn't listening, but he can tell by the knowing smirk on Liam's face that he isn't buying it.

"Go to the park tomorrow," Liam supplies.

Niall sees the hopeful look on Willow's face and the longer he remains quiet, the more he can feel his resolve fading away because now she's pouting and batting her eyelashes at him like she  _knows_  he won't say no to her. And she's right. "Of course we can," he says.

Willow squeals happily and clambers off her chair to throw her arms around Niall's neck, hugging him tight and muttering  _thank you_  over and over into his neck. Niall barely manages to laugh through the vice-like grip Willow has on his neck.

"You're welcome, now go put your plate into the sink, please."

Niall takes in a breath when she finally releases him to grab her plate and skip off toward the kitchen. When she's out of sight, Niall turns to Liam and asks, "Was that your idea or hers?"

Liam chuckles good-naturedly. "You really weren't listening were you? Too busy fantasizing about your fit neighbor?"

"How do you know he's fit?"

"I don't," Liam says simply before a wicked grin takes over his features. "But you didn't deny it."

"Why am I friends with you?" Niall glares at him, but there's no malice behind it and Liam just shakes his head with a laugh.

Niall's known Liam since their first day of primary school when they sat next to each other in the cafeteria and bonded over their matching lunchboxes and they ended up trading half of their lunches with each other. It turned into a daily thing, and needless to say, they've been inseparable ever since.

Niall gathers up the dirty dishes and carries them into the kitchen to avoid any more questions about Harry, but he's known Liam too long and knows he'll follow Niall into the kitchen whether he wants him to or not.

He glances over his shoulder into the living room to find Willow sitting in her usual spot in front of the coffee table, drawing. He silently hopes it isn't anything Harry related because he's had enough teasing from Liam for one night.

"So what's  _really_  going on with you and Harry?" Liam's voice rings in his ears and Niall nearly jumps because he hadn't heard Liam enter the kitchen. He usually doesn't zone out this much and it's starting to worry him.

"Nothing," he says, turning to face the sink so he can focus on washing the dishes rather than Liam's interrogative gaze. "We're just friends."

"Are you okay with that?"

"He's a nice guy. He's great with Willow, and she really likes him too."

"You didn't answer the question," Liam points out.

_Obviously_ , Niall thinks.

Niall releases a breath and grips the edge of the counter. He knows Liam isn't patronizing him, that he's just trying to figure out what's going on inside Niall's head and get him to own up to his own feelings, but he doesn't want to admit anything if Harry doesn't feel the same way, otherwise Niall feels like it would be a waste of time to pursue something that could never be.

"I don't know," Niall admits quietly, reaching for a dish towel to dry his hands. "He's a really great guy, but I have Willow to think about and I just don't think I could handle a relationship right now, even if I wanted to."

Liam shakes his head. "Now you're just making excuses. From what you've told me it sounds like Willow adores him, so he obviously loves kids, right? That's a positive, Niall, not a negative."

Niall sighs because Liam's right  _again_  (Liam's always right, but now it's starting to get on his nerves). He's running out of excuses, and at this rate, he won't have any reason to stop Liam from dragging him over to Harry's house and forcing Niall to ask him out. Sometimes Niall wishes Liam wasn't in such a committed relationship so he could focus on his own love life instead of meddling in Niall's. "I know, but I don't even know if he likes me. I don't even know if he likes  _guys_."

Niall's never really thought about Harry's sexuality until now. He's seen Harry talk with plenty of people, but that's the thing about Harry - it's hard to tell when he's flirting or when he's just being friendly. And Niall hasn't seen anyone enter or leave Harry's house other than his family, but that only tells Niall that he's single and not who he'd be sleeping with if he wasn't.

Niall runs a hand through his hair in frustration.

"You won't know unless you ask," Liam says gently, quickly glancing down at his watch. "Well, I should probably go, Soph wanted to go see a film tonight."

"Ditching me for the missus?" Niall says, placing a hand on his chest, feigning shock. "I'm hurt, Liam."

"It's better than staying here and listening to you deny how much you fancy this Harry guy. You're insufferable when you have a crush, you know that, right?" Niall opens his mouth to protest, but Liam turns and starts walking out of the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, "See you tomorrow, Niall."

-

Niall wakes up to his bed shaking, a weight making the end of his bed dip steadily. He groans as he opens one eye and sees Willow jumping up and down on the mattress and a smug-looking Liam standing in the doorway.

"Wake up daddy, it's time to go to the park!"

"What if daddy wants to sleep?" he mumbles into his pillow as Willow continues to bounce on the mattress.

"Why, so you can keep dreaming about Har-" Liam starts but is cut off by Niall throwing a pillow at his face and he has to hide a smile at the affronted look on Liam's face.

Willow stops jumping long enough for Niall to reach up and grab her hips and pull her to his chest. She giggles and tries to wriggle from his grasp as he kisses all over her face and tickles at her sides.

"Alright," Niall relents, kissing the top of her head before finally releasing Willow from his arms. "Give me five minutes."

-

It's hot -  _again_  - and Niall's resisting every temptation to smack Liam upside the head for not suggesting they stay at home and watch a film (or anything else that involved staying inside, really). But he keeps his hands to himself because another thing he's learning as a father is selflessness. He knows this isn't about him or Liam, it's about Willow - and it always will be.

He and Liam take a seat on one of the benches under the shade of an oak tree while Willow runs off to the playground. Niall closes his eyes, trying to enjoy the coolness of the shade while the hot air licks at the back of his neck. The sound of laughter coming from the playground dwindles as Niall lets himself relax, but then he hears Liam's voice cut through the noise.

"What're you thinking about?"

"Nothin'," Niall says, and it feels like the first thing he's said to Liam in the last twenty-four hours that wasn't a complete lie.

"By 'nothing' do you really mean 'Harry'?"

"No I don't actually." Niall cracks one eye open to glare at Liam, but his gaze is trained on his phone in his hands, a small, fond smile on his face and Niall doesn't even have to see the name to know that he's texting Sophia. "And why are you teasing me about my love life when you can't even go a day without talking to your girlfriend?"

"Because I don't want to be the only one in a happy, committed relationship. Don't you want someone else in your life that makes you happy?"

"I have Willow."

Liam casts a look his way. "You know what I meant."

Niall just shrugs, because he does, but all he can think about are the worst case scenarios and how the whole concept of dating as a single parent just seems like a terrible idea in general. But in the back of his mind he feels like he could be truly happy if he found the right person.

Liam doesn't press him for an answer even though Niall can feel his eyes on him, but Niall lets the question hang in the air as he returns his gaze to Willow who's giggling brightly as she jumps off the swing and runs toward the slide.

Out of the corner of his eye, Niall notices what he thinks is a pair of familiar yellow shorts, but when he turns his head, there's nothing. He's convinced he's going crazy, but that doesn't stop him from glancing quickly around the park for anything yellow, but his search comes up empty. He almost wants to laugh at himself because now he's  _really_  being paranoid.

"You alright, mate?" Liam asks softly, and Niall's gaze falls back on Liam, who's eyebrows are knitted together in mild concern.

"Yeah, I just think the heat's gettin' to me."

"I'll go get some water," Liam says, rising from the bench and traipsing back toward the direction of his car.

Niall leans his head back against the bench, enjoying the few minutes he has to himself to just relax without a watchful Liam looming over him. He knows Liam means well, but sometimes he feels like his mother.

He breathes in slowly, inhaling the fresh air and closes his eyes momentarily before they snap open when he hears Willow squeal in delight from across the playground. His breath catches in his throat and he nearly falls off the bench when he sees Willow tugging a shirtless Harry toward him. He would chuckle at the way he's trailing slowly behind her while she tugs on his hand, trying to get him to move faster, but it's all he can do  _not_  to stare at the sweat clinging to his chest and the way his tattoos seem to glisten under the sunlight.

"Daddy, look! It's Harry!" Willow beams once they're both standing in front of him. She's still holding Harry's hand, but he doesn't seem bothered by it, smiling softly at Niall when his eyes finally roam up to meet Harry's.

"Hi," Harry says.

"Hey," Niall says around his dry throat, and he really hopes Liam comes back with an extra bottle of water because he's going to need it.

"Didn't expect to see you two here. Family outing?"

"Kind of. We're here with my mate, Liam. He should be back any minute, he's just getting something to drink."

"Selling more lemonade?" Harry asks.

"No, I think we're gonna take a break from the lemonade business for a while. You were our only regular customer anyway."

Harry frowns and Niall wonders if he's feigning sadness for Willow's benefit or if he's genuinely sad that he won't be getting his daily lemonade anymore. "I guess this means I'll have to make my own lemonade now."

"You don't have to. You could always come over and we could make it for you. I - I mean, if you wanted to." The words tumble out of Niall's mouth before he really has a chance to stop them and he's ready to retract the offer when he sees a wide grin appear on Harry's face as he glances down at Willow, who's grin is equally as wide.

"Would you like that, Willow?" Harry asks, laughing lightly at the way she nods eagerly.

"Like what?" a voice asks behind them.

Liam comes into view carrying three water bottles, handing one to Niall who twists off the cap and takes a greedy gulp because his throat suddenly feels much drier than it had been before.

"We're gonna make Harry some lemonade," Willow supplies.

"Harry?" Liam says, and Niall pointedly ignores the way Liam raises an eyebrow at him before extending his hand out toward Harry. "Nice to finally meet you, Harry, I've heard a lot about you."

Niall runs a hand over his face because this is the last place he wants to be right now.

"Nice to meet you, too. I wish I could say the same, but I have to admit I have no idea who you are," Harry admits sheepishly, reaching out to shake Liam's hand.

"I'm Liam," he says, and Harry gives him a curt nod and a friendly smile. It's then that Liam glances down at Harry's attire - or lack thereof. "Keeping in shape for your girlfriend?"

Niall wants to clamp a hand around Liam's mouth because he knows exactly what Liam's getting at, and now is not the time nor the place to discuss Harry's sexual orientation or relationship status.

But then Harry throws his head back and laughs and Niall can't help but admire the column of his throat and he momentarily forgets how much he wants to kill Liam. "No, I'm not," Harry says simply. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"So, you're looking for one, then?" Liam presses, and Niall wants nothing more than to drag himself and Liam far, far away from here.

Harry laughs again. "No, I'm not. But I am looking for a  _boyfriend,_  though," he says, and Liam nods, subtly elbowing Niall in the ribs and Niall can feel his cheeks burning red, but at the same time he feels like his heart is going to beat out of his chest.

"Daddy, can we go for ice cream?" Willow suddenly asks, and Niall's never been so glad for an interruption in his life.

"Of course we can, love," Niall says.

"Can Harry come too?" she asks, looking up expectantly at Niall. His gaze meets Harry's momentarily and he can see that he too is surprised by the offer.

"If he wants to," Niall says and tries not to look too hopeful even though he really wants him to say yes.

"Please?" Willow pleads, turning to look back up at Harry and tugging on his hand where her tiny fingers are still wrapped around Harry's. For a fleeting moment, Niall wishes it was his hand instead.

Harry smiles down at her before glancing back at Niall. "I'd love to."

-

The three of them walk to the ice cream shop on the corner, Liam opting out of the excursion, claiming he had somewhere to meet Sophia, smirking not-so-subtly at Niall before he left. Niall wasn't sure whether he wanted to smack him or thank him. For Liam's sake, he hopes it'll be the latter.

It's cool in the ice cream shop and Niall sighs in relief, thankful to finally be out of the heat. He inhales deeply, the sweet smell of the sugar cones invading his nostrils. Willow finally releases Harry's hand to peer through the glass at the selection of ice cream flavors.

"Thanks for inviting me. I mean, I know you didn't have to and that you just said yes for Willow - even though I'm sure she appreciates it - but thank you."

Niall shakes his head. "I want you to be here just as much as Willow does. And besides, it's nice to spend some time with someone that isn't Liam." He laughs weakly at his own attempt at a joke, but he sees Harry smiling, so he doesn't think it's a complete loss.

"You haven't made any new friends since you moved in?" Harry questions, not like an accusation, but like he's genuinely curious.

"Haven't had the time to really. I've been more worried about getting Willow settled than anything else."

Harry nods in understanding before the man behind the counter asks him what flavor ice cream he wants. He orders a scoop of vanilla while Niall gets a scoop of mint chocolate chip. Both Harry and Niall share a smile when Willow says she wants cotton candy because it "has pretty colors".

They sit at a table in the corner and talk as they eat their ice cream. Willow gets more of it on her face than in her mouth, so Niall has to wipe her mouth with a napkin while Harry tells the story of how he moved here after he broke up with his last boyfriend and his flat reminded him too much of  _him_  so he wanted a place he could call his own.

Niall listens as Harry tells story after story, laughing occasionally as he recalls something funny, and Niall finds himself laughing along with him because Harry's laughter is infectious. His face is bright and expressive as he tells Willow how he and his sister helped their dad build a treehouse in their backyard and how he and Gemma would spend most of their summers up there, watching the stars and hiding from their parents.

Harry's face becomes more serious - focused and intent on Niall's - as he recounts the story of being in a band with some of his mates from school. There's a slight sadness behind his tone as he talks, like he misses making music, but he smiles nonetheless, even as he tells Niall how he tried out for The X Factor when he was sixteen but didn't make it to bootcamp. Niall can't believe he only received one yes, because Niall thinks Harry has a beautiful voice that should be heard by everyone.

The conversation flows between them easily like they've known each other for years, and Niall hadn't even noticed that he'd moved closer to Harry until he feels the heat radiating from Harry's skin. Suddenly the air around them feels electric, and Niall's very aware of how  _pink_  Harry's lips are and how close they are that he could lean forward and just -

He immediately squashes the thought when he spots Willow out of the corner of his eye, who's luckily still too absorbed in eating her ice cream to notice the two of them. When he looks back at Harry, he's wearing a hint of a smirk on his lips, like he'd read every single one of Niall's thoughts. Niall can feel his cheeks reddening in embarrassment and he has to look away. He's glad when Willow slides her empty ice cream cup over to him, signalling that she's finished.

Once again, he's thankful for the distraction as he gets up to throw away their trash so he can take a moment to breathe, to get his mind right again after almost acting on a sudden impulse to  _kiss_  Harry. He wants to believe that Harry felt it too, and that he would've kissed Niall back if he'd done it, but he's sure it was all in his head and that his mind is just playing a cruel joke on him.

He turns to walk back to the table, but Harry and Willow are already walking toward him, meeting him halfway to the door.

"Sorry," Harry mutters. "She said she wanted to go home and give me something?"

"Yeah," Niall says feebly, thinking about the picture Willow drew last night at dinner with Liam. Harry smiles at him as Willow rushes out the door, skipping down the sidewalk.

Niall and Harry follow behind her slowly, and Niall's very aware of the almost uncomfortable silence between them, but he can't find anything to say, so he stays silent. He glances over at Harry, whose hands are clasped behind his back and eyes are staring down at his feet as they walk, but Niall can feel his mind working, like he wants to say something but doesn't want to be the first to talk.

"So, I was wondering," Harry starts, still looking at the ground. "Like, if you wanted to, maybe, um, you could like..." He pauses again, but this time he stops moving long enough to take a deep breath and meet Niall's eyes. "Come over to mine. For dinner. Tomorrow?"

Niall smiles. "Yeah, I'm sure Willow would love-" Niall starts, but stops when he sees Harry shaking his head.

"No, I meant, like... just the two of us." Harry shifts his weigh nervously from one foot to the other.

Niall blinks. Did Harry just ask him on a date?

"Like - Like a date?" Niall asks. He doesn't want to sound presumptuous, but his mind's still in shock at the prospect of spending an evening  _alone_  with Harry.

A beat later, Harry nods sheepishly, biting his lip and Niall finds himself nodding while grinning so big he's sure his cheeks'll hurt for the rest of the day. But he doesn't care, because Harry just asked him on a  _date_.

-

When Niall gets home he rushes to his bedroom, closing the door behind him as he fishes his phone out of his back pocket. He scrolls through his contacts as fast as his shaking fingers can manage before he finally finds Liam's name and presses dial.

"Hello?" Liam's voice rings out through the speaker.

"Harry just asked me to have dinner at his house," Niall rushes out, still slightly out of breath from running all the way home, adrenaline and excitement pumping hot through his veins.

"Like a date?" Liam asks. It sounds incredulous, but Niall knows Liam well enough to know that he's smirking on the other end.

"Yes!" Niall exclaims, grinning so wide he's sure he looks like a Cheshire Cat. "So can you watch Willow tomorrow?"

"Of course I will," Liam says. "But should I bring an overnight bag? I assume you're going to spend the night at Harry's, right?"

"Goodbye, Liam," Niall says loudly before ringing off and stepping into his closet to find the right outfit for his date.

-

After taking an extra twenty minutes of deliberation, and some unhelpful advice from Liam ("Niall, it doesn't matter what shirt you wear when we both know it's going to come off by the end of the night"), Niall finally decides what shirt to wear, smoothing out his white button down as he looks at himself in the mirror. He fusses with his hair a bit, trying to decide if it looks best styled or flat, before deciding he's overthinking everything.

He gives Willow a goodbye kiss and tells her that he's going to dinner, carefully leaving out the fact that it's at Harry's house. He ignores Liam, not on purpose exactly - because he'd ignore Liam's smirking anyway - but his heart is beating wildly in his chest and he can't really focus on anything else.

Niall checks the time on his phone and his eyes go wide when he realizes he's already late. He feels frozen, clutching his phone as he stares at the front door, willing himself to move toward it. Liam places a hand on his shoulder and slowly guides him toward the door.

"Go," Liam urges gently, nudging Niall out the door.

"Okay, but remember Willow's bedtime is in an hour, don't give her any sugar before bed, read her a story before she goes to sleep and-"

"Niall," Liam cuts in. "Just go. You and I both know this isn't the first time I've watched Willow, so go. And have fun." Niall looks at Liam over his shoulder long enough to see him wink before Liam closes the door behind him.

Niall walks the short distance between his and Harry's house and takes a deep breath before knocking on the door. His heart's now pounding in his ears as he waits the agonizingly long five seconds it takes for Harry to answer the door. He's smiling as he opens the door to let Niall in, dressed in tight black jeans and a black button down only buttoned up halfway to show off his chest.

Inside, Harry's house is sleek and clean, the complete opposite of Niall's, piled high with clothes and toys, but the first thing Niall notices is the way his stomach grumbles when the smell of chicken wafts into his nostrils from the kitchen. He'd been too nervous to eat all day, and now he's starving.

"Smells great," Niall says, taking a seat on the leather couch in the center of the living room as Harry disappears into the kitchen. "What is it?"

"Chicken parmesan," Harry says from behind him as he hands Niall a beer. Niall looks at him in shock because he remembers telling Harry that it was his favorite meal that his mum cooked and how it turned into him rambling on and on about how much he missed his mum's cooking. Harry just smiles sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "I don't expect it to be as good as your mum's, but I think it's the thought that counts."

"It is. Thanks." Niall smiles softly, finally taking the beer bottle out of Harry's hands, his skin feeling warm where his fingers brush against Harry's.

Harry returns to the kitchen to stir a pot on the stove. Niall takes a long pull from his beer to settle his nerves as he glances around Harry's living room. It's very minimalistic, Niall notes. There's a few decorative paintings hanging from the walls, but when he steps closer to the mantle he sees multiple photos of Harry and his family. Some are older, from when Harry was just a toddler, and Niall can't help but smile at how cute he was with his chubby cheeks and blonde hair. Others show Harry through his teenage years while some are more recent, each with a story behind them that Niall wants to learn.

Niall's pulled from his thoughts when Harry announces that dinner's ready. He walks across the living room into the makeshift dining room and sits at the table that's adorned with two candles and a single rose in a thin vase sitting in the center. It's something out of a cheesy romance movie, but it's also very  _Harry_ and Niall finds it endearing nonetheless.

Niall stares at the plate of food in front of him, licking his lips hungrily before grabbing his fork and twirling some of the pasta around the tines. He's about to bring the fork to his mouth when he looks up to find Harry watching him.

"What?" Niall asks, fork still poised in front of his mouth.

"Nothing, I just want to watch you take the first bite," Harry says, resting his chin in his hand and watching Niall intently.

"Why?"

"Because you can  _say_  that you like it, but your face never lies."

"Fair enough," Niall says, finally bringing the fork to his mouth. He hums as he chews, and Harry seems satisfied with his reaction, a smug grin tugging on his lips. "It's amazing, Harry, really."

"Better than your mum's?" Harry asks with a smirk, taking a bite from his own plate.

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to," Niall counters, and Harry quirks an eyebrow as if to say  _touché_.

"Did you get that from a fortune cookie?"

Niall pauses. "Maybe," he mumbles, shoveling more pasta into his mouth so he doesn't have to say anything else.

But then Harry's laughing and Niall finds himself laughing too, as natural as anything, because the more time he spends with Harry, the more comfortable he is around him. He's not even sure why he was so nervous in the first place when Harry makes him feel so at ease.

Conversation flows naturally between them, much like it had at the ice cream shop, trading stories and laughing along with each other. After dinner, they find themselves on the couch, and it isn't until their thighs brush that Niall's aware of Harry's proximity. The air around them has turned electric again and Niall finds it hard to breathe.

"Thank you. For dinner," Niall says. "You didn't have to go all out, though. I would've been fine with takeaway and a film to be honest."

Harry's silent for a moment, staring at his hands in his lap. "I was trying to woo you," he admits quietly.

"Woo me?"

Harry nods, finally looking up to meet Niall's eyes. "I like you, Niall, and I-"

"You - You like me?" Niall interrupts, and he hates how he keeps repeating Harry, but he feels like if he doesn't, he's going to wake up any minute and find that all of this has been one cruel dream. But then Harry grabs his hand, and it's so warm that it sends a tingling sensation down Niall's spine that he knows for sure is real.

"I asked you on a date, Niall, I thought it was implied," Harry says, letting out a breathy chuckle that sounds forced to Niall's ears.

Niall's not sure what to focus on - Harry's hand around his, the way the heat from Harry's leg is radiating into his own or the way Harry is staring at him so intently. There's so much happening at once that it's making his head swim. "I know, I just..." Niall shakes his head, shrugging. "I don't know. I guess I thought you didn't feel the same? I don't know," Niall repeats, because he doesn't know what else to say. "But I - I like you too."

Harry's tongue darts out to lick his lips, drawing Niall's eyes down to his mouth, and he's suddenly aware of how close their faces are.

"Niall," Harry murmurs, and if they weren't sitting so close, Niall doesn't think he would've heard it over his heart pounding in his ears. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes," Niall whispers, but he barely gets the word out before Harry's lips are on his own. They're soft against his, so soft that Niall sighs against them and all he can think is  _finally_.

Harry licks against the seam of Niall's lips, and Niall feels himself melting into the couch. Niall opens his mouth, and the first contact of Harry's tongue against his causes a sudden warmth to run down his spine. Harry's hand slides up Niall's thigh, and Niall feels like his entire body is on fire. It feels like Harry is everywhere, taking over each of Niall's senses, like he could get drunk just from kissing Harry, so Niall slips a hand behind Harry's neck and drags him closer.

They finally pull away for air, Niall breathing heavily and eyes dropping closed as Harry moves to kiss down his jaw and neck. Harry's nimble fingers begin undoing the buttons on Niall's shirt and tossing it to the floor, exploring the newly exposed flesh and causing Niall's skin to shiver under Harry's touch. Harry kisses his way down Niall's chest, and the farther down he goes, the tighter Niall's pants become.

Harry's fingers ghost over his zipper, Niall arching up slightly into his touch. He crawls back up Niall's body to kiss at his neck, his jaw and then his lips. "Can I suck you off?" he asks, breath fanning hotly over Niall's cheek.

"Please," Niall breathes, trying again to arch up into Harry's hand for some type of friction, sighing happily when Harry palms him through his jeans.

Harry gives one last kiss to Niall's lips before sliding down his body and undoing the button and zip on Niall's jeans. He pulls them down Niall's legs slowly, placing a kiss to each thigh before his thumbs dip under the elastic of Niall's boxers, removing them.

Niall's cock springs free, slapping against his stomach, and Niall's not sure if it's the cool air around him or the gentle touch of Harry's fingers as he spreads Niall's legs so he can fit between them that's sending shivers up his spine. Harry licks a tentative stripe up Niall's cock, the contact of Harry's warm tongue causing him to moan low in his throat.

Niall moans again, louder this time, as Harry closes his mouth around the tip. He wraps a hand around the base and squeezes, inching his mouth further down Niall's cock. His movements are slow and methodical, a visible contradiction to the way Niall's heart is pounding in his chest and the way his blood is pumping quickly through his veins.

It's all so much that Niall's sure if he chances a glance down at Harry he'll come right on the spot. He hasn't felt this way about somebody in quite some time, hasn't felt so strongly about someone like he does about Harry and he wants nothing more than to imprint this image into his memory. So he glances down his body to where Harry's lips are wrapped around him and another moan leaves his throat. They already looked red and obscene from kissing, but now they look even more so wrapped around his cock.

Harry pulls off with an equally obscene  _pop_ , lips looking spit-slick and pupils blown wide as he locks eyes with Niall. "S'good?" he asks, his voice already sounding wrecked.

"So good," Niall murmurs, his chest feeling heavy with each breath.

Harry smiles smugly to himself, licking his lips before he sucks him back down, swirling his tongue around the head of Niall's cock in a way that has him arching his hips off the couch and further into the heat of Harry's mouth. Niall watches as Harry's head bobs up and down, a sight he wants to see again and again, but for now, he just wants to remember  _this_ , so he reaches down and cards his fingers through Harry's hair. He hums around Niall's cock in his mouth and hollows his cheeks, causing a groan to slip past Niall's lips.

All too soon, Niall feels a heat pooling in the pit of his stomach. His mind is still reeling with the feeling of having Harry's mouth around him that he's barely able to manage a warning before he's coming down Harry's throat. Harry swallows it all before pulling off and licking the last bit of come from his lips. They're both panting, but all Niall can do is stare at Harry, the way the greens of his eyes are barely visible, the way his hair is disheveled from Niall running his fingers through it and the way the light reflects off the slick sheen of his red lips.

Before Niall knows it, he's pulling Harry in for a kiss. It's sloppy and he can taste himself on Harry's tongue, but he doesn't care. Harry kisses him back, trying to add more finesse to it, shifting just enough that Niall can feel how hard he is against the inside of his thigh.

"Can I...?" Niall asks, reaching between Harry's legs to palm him through his jeans. Harry groans, angling his hips upwards into Niall's hand.

"Yes," he says on exhale.

Niall undoes the last few buttons on Harry's shirt, discarding it onto the floor on top of his, kissing down Harry's neck as he goes and feeling Harry's pulse quicken under his skin. He works his way down to the swallows on Harry's chest, sucking, biting and licking like he's dreamt about doing for so long. He loves the soft gasps that leave Harry's mouth each time Niall sinks his teeth into Harry's flesh.

Harry lifts his hips up off the couch, searching for friction against Niall's thigh. "Niall," he whines. Niall obliges, blindly reaching between them to undo Harry's zipper and maneuvering his pants down his legs enough so that Harry can kick them off. He slides Harry's boxers down his legs, disposing of them on the floor behind him and wastes no time in gripping Harry's cock firmly in his hand, stroking him a few times before taking him into his mouth. Harry sighs above him as Niall slowly sucks him down, his moans growing louder the farther down Niall goes.

Niall quickly builds up a steady rhythm, each new flick of his tongue drawing out a moan from Harry. Harry's very vocal, Niall realizes, moaning long and loud each time Niall drags his mouth down Harry's cock.

"Fuck, Niall," Harry grunts, his breathing becoming more and more ragged. Niall can tell he's close by the way Harry's hips are bucking up ever-so-slightly into Niall's mouth, but it's the sound of Niall's name leaving Harry's lips that causes Niall to take Harry's cock further into his mouth until he's coming down Niall's throat.

Niall pulls off and crawls back up Harry's body, feeling smug at the sight of a half-lidded, heavy-breathing Harry. "Was that okay?" Niall asks, pushing a few stray curls off of Harry's sweaty forehead.

"More than," he says. The house has gone silent again except for the muffled  _thump thump thump_  of Niall's heartbeat in his ears. Harry pulls Niall close to his chest, the smell of sweat and sex clinging to his skin. "I guess you should get back to Willow now." His voice is even more quiet now, like he's trying to distance himself from the words while simultaneously pulling Niall closer to him, like he doesn't want him to leave yet.

Niall doesn't want to leave either, and he's definitely going to thank Liam later for basically kicking him out of the house for the night, even if it does lead to more years of Liam reminding him just how good of a friend he is. "Don't have to. Liam has her for the night."

"A little presumptuous, were you?" he says, and Niall can feel his chest vibrate with a laugh.

"It was Liam's idea, I swear," Niall says, lifting his head enough to meet Harry's eyes.

"Remind me to thank him later," Harry says softly, trailing his fingers along Niall's spine and Niall wants to laugh because there's no way Liam's going to  _ever_  let him forget this. "C'mon, let's go to bed," he says, tapping at Niall's hip.

Niall groans because he doesn't want to leave the comfort of Harry's arms, but he gets up anyway because the couch is too cramped and uncomfortable to sleep on. He finds his boxers on the floor and pulls them back up his legs and trudges behind a naked Harry to his bedroom, Harry's fingers curled loosely around his.

"Big spoon or little spoon?" Harry asks once they're in his bedroom, turning around to face Niall.

Niall blinks blearily at him. "Um, big spoon?"

Even in the dark, Niall can see Harry's bright smile. "Good, 'cause I'm the little spoon."

-

When Niall wakes up he still has his arm wrapped around Harry's waist, just like it was when they fell asleep. He blinks against the sunlight, snuggling closer to Harry and tightening his arm around his waist. He places a soft kiss to Harry's bare shoulder, still feeling like he's dreaming, like the last twelve hours have all been some type of surreal dream. But it's not, so Niall kisses his way up Harry's neck just because he can.

It's nice waking up next to someone else, Niall thinks. He's been waking up to a cold and empty bed for the last two years (except for those rare occasions when Willow crawls into his bed after a nightmare), but Niall didn't realize how much he missed waking up to a warm body next to his.

He watches the steady rise and fall of Harry's chest, finding himself relaxing with each inhale and exhale. That's another thing Niall hasn't had in a while - a peaceful, quiet morning, and he's glad that he gets to spend it with Harry.

Harry shifts as Niall continues to kiss his neck, angling his body enough to face Niall, his eyes still half-closed with a sleepy smile on his face. He lifts his head enough to capture Niall's lips in a lazy kiss. "Morning," he rasps. It's the deepest Niall's heard his voice yet and he feels like he should be ashamed of the way the sound shoots straight to his dick.

"Mornin'," Niall echoes, smiling at the way goosebumps raise on Harry's skin when he trails his fingers down the side of Harry's body. "So, I was thinking that I could repay you for dinner and make you breakfast back at mine?"

"Grilled cheese again?" Harry murmurs, peeking one eye open to glance at Niall as a slow smirk works its way onto his face.

Niall laughs. "No, my pancakes are even  _better_  than my grilled cheese."

"Is that all you know how to make?"

"No, but I have a five-year-old with limited taste, so it's not like I have to be the world's greatest chef," Niall says, lifting one shoulder in a half-shrug.

"I'll have to teach you how to cook a real meal."

"And I'll gladly take you up on that offer," Niall says before placing a chaste kiss to Harry's lips, "but for now, we should probably go. Willow's probably wondering where I am."

Niall forces himself to leave the warmth and comfort of Harry's bed to head back into the living room in search of his clothes, but he stops when he feels Harry's hand wrap around his wrist. He turns back to look at Harry who's looking at him with a sadness behind his eyes like he doesn't want Niall to leave yet.

"At least take a shower before you go," Harry says, his thumb moving softly across the back of Niall's hand and using his free hand to pull at the elastic of Niall's boxers. Harry begins to slowly pull them down, but Niall makes no move to stop him.

Niall pretends to contemplate it for a moment, before a slow smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. "Only if you join me."

"Deal," Harry says, scrambling off the bed and dragging Niall into the adjoining bathroom. He turns on the tap, not bothering to wait for the water to heat up before he's pulling Niall into the shower with him.

"Fuck, that's cold." Niall shivers as the cold droplets collide with his warm skin.

"It'll heat up in a minute," Harry says dismissively, pulling Niall flush against his chest. "But I can think of another way to keep you warm in the meantime."

He closes the last few inches of space between them, Harry's lips meeting Niall's in a wet kiss. Niall still hasn't gotten used to the feeling of kissing Harry, but then again, he doesn't think he ever will. It starts off slow, their mouths sliding together easily, until Harry grabs Niall's cock in his hand and begins to stroke him slowly. Niall gasps slightly at the contact and Harry takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into Niall's mouth.

Niall's head quickly becomes fuzzy, and he's barely able to register Harry dropping to his knees until his cock is in his mouth. It's a lot faster than it was last night, Harry's mouth moving expertly over Niall's cock that he has to grip the side of the shower to keep himself upright.

"Fuck," he grunts, trying to find purchase is Harry's hair as his hips begin shallowly thrusting into Harry's mouth. Harry moans around him and stills his head, letting Niall fuck his mouth. His hips pick up speed, eventually becoming more and more erratic with each thrust. His cock nudges the back of Harry's throat and with one last moan, he comes.

A few moments later, Harry stands back up, wiping his chin with the back of his hand before taking himself in hand and pumping quickly.

"Let me," Niall says, replacing Harry's hand with his own.

A low moan leaves Harry's throat, the sound only amplified by the acoustics of the shower walls. It's a sound that Niall wants to hear over and over again, so he speeds up the pace of his hand, eliciting a filthy moan from Harry each time he squeezes the base of his cock.

"God, I can't wait for you to fuck me," Harry says, dropping his head onto Niall's shoulder, and Niall groans, already feeling his dick stirring at the thought of Harry hot and tight around him, and looking flushed and completely fucked-out beneath him.

"Yeah?" Niall asks lowly and Harry nods. "How long have you been thinking about that?"

"Since the first time I saw you."

Niall remembers it vividly. Harry was dressed in his usual running attire - yellow shorts and no shirt - jogging by them as they were unloading the moving van, and Niall nearly dropped the box he was holding onto his foot. He'd been the first one in the neighborhood to properly introduce themselves, and Niall was more than a little ecstatic to have such a fit neighbor. When he saw Harry enter the house across from his, he moved the boxes from the van much more slowly, hoping to get another peek at his new neighbor.

"Been thinking about me fucking you so you feel me every time you walk?" Niall growls into his ear, Harry's encouraging moans only making his hand move faster.

Harry whines. "Yes. Wanna be reminded of you."

"How would you want it?" Niall continues. "On your back? On your stomach? Maybe on your hands and knees? Or do you wanna ride me so I can see that pretty face of yours?" Niall slows down the speed of his hand a bit, just to be a tease, and takes pleasure in the way Harry becomes needy, bucking up into Niall's fist, urging him to go faster.

"All of it," Harry mumbles, moaning loudly when Niall thumbs across the head of his cock.

"I'd probably have to cover your mouth because you're so fucking loud," Niall rasps, jerking him faster, feeling smug when Harry proves his point and a long moan leaves his mouth, echoing around the walls of the shower. "Or maybe I won't so you can let the whole neighborhood know how good I'm fucking you."

"Yeah," Harry breathes, thrusting his hips up to meet each movement of Niall's hand. Harry's breathing has become more heavy, panting hotly against Niall's shoulder, and Niall can tell he's close. "What else would you do to me?"

"Maybe eat you out a bit before I fuck you. I bet you'd be so tight around my cock," Niall says, snaking a hand behind Harry and circling a finger around his rim before pressing it in to the first knuckle. Harry inhales sharply and bites down on Niall's shoulder as he comes in thick pulses over Niall's fist.

When Harry's breathing returns to normal, he lifts his head to press a lingering kiss to Niall's lips before murmuring, "I don't know about you, but I could really go for some pancakes."

-

Twenty minutes later, they're both dressed and stepping out of Harry's house hand in hand, and Niall doesn't even care if half the neighborhood can see them. He's pretty sure Mrs. Evans is peeking at them through her curtains and dialing the numbers of every member of her so-called "book club" - which everyone really knows is just a group of five women who gather once a week to drink wine and gossip about their neighbors (Niall only knows this because he's overheard one too many conversations about him at the supermarket).

It's not the first time Niall's regretted moving into a stereotypical suburban neighborhood (just another sacrifice he made for the sake of fatherhood), but this is the first time he hasn't cared, because if he'd stayed in his cramped two bedroom flat or moved in with his mum when she offered to help him take care of Willow, he wouldn't have met Harry.

He smiles dumbly to himself and he sees Harry cast a sidelong glance his way.

"What's got you so happy?" he asks.

"You," Niall says, smiling as he turns to meet Harry's eyes. He smiles back, two dimples forming in his cheeks and Niall's never found it as endearing as he does right now.

"Sap," Harry says, nudging Niall playfully as they approach Niall's front door.

Niall reluctantly releases Harry's hand to open the door, and before he has a chance to step through the door, he can hear two feet slapping against the hardwood floor.

"Daddy!" Willow calls, running down the hallway and jumping into Niall's arms. He spins her around, hugging her tight and kissing her cheek, before setting her back on the ground and bending down on his good knee so they're at eye level.

"Did you have fun with uncle Liam?" he asks.

She nods for a second before she glances over Niall's shoulder where Harry's still standing in the open doorway. "Harry!" she yells, her face lighting up as she runs past Niall to wrap herself around Harry's legs. He picks her up and settles her on his hip. "What're you doing here?"

"Your dad invited me over for breakfast, I hope that's okay."

She nods again. "Daddy's pancakes are the best."

Harry hums thoughtfully, glancing over at Niall. "I'll be the judge of that."

Willow giggles and Niall smiles fondly at the two of them before turning and walking into the kitchen where he finds Liam making a cup of tea. He looks over his shoulder when he hears Niall enter and smirks as he takes a sip of his tea when he sees Harry follow in behind him.

"Shut up," Niall mumbles as he reaches into the cupboard behind Liam to grab the pancake mix.

"I didn't say anything," Liam says, raising the hand that isn't holding his tea in surrender. He's still smirking, though, as he turns to wave at Harry. "Nice to see you again, Harry."

"You too, Liam," Harry replies, smiling as easy as ever, seemingly unfazed by Liam's teasing.

Niall's glad when Willow drags Harry off into the living room, but hates that he's left alone with Liam staring smugly at him over his cup of tea. He busies himself with heating up a pan on the stove and pouring water and some of the pancake mix into a bowl. It's quiet behind him, and he thinks Liam left until he suddenly emerges into view, standing next to the stove as Niall stirs the contents of the bowl.

"So, did you and Harry have a good time last night?"

"Yes we did, actually," Niall says, pouring some of the pancake mix into the pan.

"What did you do?"

"We ate dinner, we talked, and that's all you need to know."

"What happened to the days when you used to tell me everything?" Liam asks, setting his tea down on the counter beside him and pretending to look upset.

"That was before you got so nosy and wanted to know every detail of my love life." Niall pauses. "But I guess if you really want to know, Harry's mouth-" Niall starts, but is cut off by Liam waving a hand dismissively between them.

"Never mind. Forget I asked."

Niall laughs before lowering his voice. "Seriously, though, thanks for watching Willow last night. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Liam says, giving Niall's shoulder a firm squeeze. "Harry's a nice guy and you seem really happy."

"Yeah," Niall says softly, glancing into the living room and smiling when he sees Harry making funny faces at Willow, her giggles carrying all the way into the kitchen, "I am."

-

**_1 year later_ **

Niall wakes up to a heavy weight making the mattress dip at his feet and when he peeks one eye open he sees Willow jumping up and down at the end of the bed. "C'mere before ya hurt yourself," he mumbles, motioning for her to come closer.

She crawls up the bed in between Niall and the body next to him. Harry turns his head enough to face them, squinting against the bright sunlight streaming into the room. "What's going on?" he croaks.

"I drew something for you," she says, smiling brightly as she hands Niall her latest drawing.

Harry sits up, rubbing at his eyes, and glances at the picture over Niall's shoulder. There's three stick figures drawn in front of a house, two taller ones - one with blonde hair and the other with brown, curly hair - and next to them is a smaller stick figure that has long brown hair. Niall's seen enough of her drawings to know that it's him, Willow and Harry, but he also loves how excited she gets talking about her artwork, so he always pretends to be clueless.

"What is it?"

"My family," she says easily, and Niall's breath catches in his throat as he turns to meet Harry's eyes. He doesn't seem fazed by it, smiling like he's thinking the same thing Willow is. Harry slides a hand onto Niall's thigh under the sheets and a slow smile spreads across his face.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he says softly, placing his hand on top of Harry's and squeezing gently.

Harry smiles fondly at him, and even though they've been together for a while now, it still makes butterflies flutter in Niall's stomach. Niall's still dumbfounded that they've been together for a year now, and living together for half that time (Niall had thought about asking Harry to move in with them only a few months into their relationship, but it was Willow who eventually brought up the idea, and naturally, Harry had agreed since he spent more time at Niall's house than his own), after Liam and Sophia got engaged six months ago and jumped at the opportunity to buy Harry's house when Niall told Liam they were moving in together. He thought it was a great idea, because now everyone he loves is close to him.

It's been one of the best years of his life, and Niall can't remember a time where he's been this happy (other than the day Willow was born, of course). As much as Niall loves having Harry here with him, he's pretty sure Willow loves having him here even more, spending most of her days drawing with Harry, having tea parties together or just telling him about her day at school.

But Niall doesn't mind because Harry's been good about dividing his time and attention between the two of them equally. And Harry's been a great parent, which is all Niall can really ask for.

"Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" Willow asks, looking at Niall with those pleading eyes of hers. "Please?"

"Of course we can," Niall beams. "Go get the mix for me and we'll be there in a minute."

Willow grins before she darts out of the room and Niall turns to Harry who's still smiling at him with a softness behind his eyes as he turns the hand that's on Niall's thigh over to interlock their fingers.

"A family, huh? I like the sound of that."

"Me too," Niall says softly, reaching up to stroke a thumb across Harry's cheek before leaning forward and pecking Harry on the lips. "Maybe... we should make it official."

"Like me adopting Willow?" That's not really something they've discussed before, but Niall'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it and the multiple occasions where Harry's said the only thing he wants to be in life is a father. Even now, as Niall's looking at him, Harry's looking at him like his entire world is right in front of him.

Niall smiles and squeezes Harry's fingers. "That's a great idea, but I had something else in mind."

"Like what?"

"Marry me."

The corners of Harry's mouth tug upwards in a wide grin that has his dimples turning into dents in his cheeks, making Niall smile just as big because he's never been more sure of anything in his life. Harry doesn't say anything, just leans forward and presses his lips to Niall's in a long, slow kiss that Niall takes as a yes. "I thought you'd never ask."


End file.
